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<br />I-" <br />101-'''' <br />(Xl <br />o <br /> <br />LEGISLATIVE HISTORY <br /> <br />In June 1974, Congress enacted the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, <br />Public Law 93-320, which directed the Secretary of the Interior to proceed <br />with a program to enhance and protect the quality of water available in the <br />Colorado River for use in the United States and the Republic of Mexico. <br /> <br />Title I of the Act addressed the United States commitment to Mexico. It <br />authorized the construction of the Yuma Desalting Plant to enable the United <br />States to comply with its obligations under the agreement with Mexico dated <br />August 30, 1973 (Minute No. 242 of the International Boundary and Water <br />Commission, United States and Mexico) and the Mexican Water Treaty of February <br />3, 1944. <br /> <br />Title II of the Act created a salinity control program for water quality in <br />the United States. It directed the Secretary of the Interior to expedite the <br />completion of planning reports of 12 salinity control units and to proceed <br />with construction of the Paradox Valley, Grand Valley, Crystal Geyser, and Las <br />Vegas Wash Units. <br /> <br />In October 1984, the President signed Public Law 98-569, The Colorado River <br />Basin Salinity Control Act Amendment, which amends P.L. 93-320. It directs <br />the Secretary of AgriCUlture to establish a major voluntary onfarm cooperative <br />salinity control program within the United States Department of Agriculture. <br />The new USDA program provides for cost sharing of onfarm improvements <br />consistent with the degree of onsite and off site downstream benefits as <br />determined for the project area. Maximum Federal cost shares are not to <br />exceed 70 percent unless higher levels are approved by the Secretary of <br />Agriculture. The new authority also requires that 30 percent of the Federal <br />cost be repaid from the Upper and Lower Basin water development funds with <br />revenue generated from the sale of hydropower. <br /> <br />For the Department of the Interior, the 1984 amendment provided for several <br />actions not previously included in the Reclamation program. These actions <br />were: <br /> <br />. The authorization of construction of Stage I of the Lower Gunnison Basin <br />Unit and, ae part of the Dolores Project, the McElmo Creek Unit; <br /> <br />. The use of cost~effectiveness as a decisionmaking criterion; <br /> <br />. Joint feasibility studies with industrial water users as part of ongoing <br />Saline Water Use and Disposal Opportunities activities; <br /> <br />. Authority for the Secretary of the Interior to contract with non-Federal <br />entities for organization, construction, operation, maintenance, and <br />replacement of authorized saliriity control facilities; <br /> <br />. Authority to concurrently replace incidental fish and wildlife values <br />foregone as salinity control units are constructed; <br /> <br />. Thirty percent reimbursable from the upper and Lower Basin funds on the <br />newly authorized units to be repaid either during the year the <br />expenditures are made or over time with interest. By comparison, 25 <br />percent of the construction costs of previously authorized units are to <br />be repaid from the Basin Fund over 50 years without interest; <br /> <br />. Compliance with procedural and substantive State water law; and, <br /> <br />. The Secretary waS authorized to complete advance planning studies on <br />Sinbad Valley, a Bureau of Land Management project. <br /> <br />4 <br />